Many Americans living in states where abortion rights are limited want more abortion rights, poll shows

In many states where GOP lawmakers have banned abortion, most residents say they support abortion rights in most or all cases, according to a survey published Thursday by the Public Religion Research Institute, a nonpartisan research organization that tracks views on abortion. In all, majorities of Americans in 43 states support legal abortion.

In the remaining seven states — South Dakota, Utah, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Idaho, Mississippi and Tennessee  — less than half of residents say abortion should be legal in all or most cases. These states are overwhelmingly Republican. 

Meanwhile, the proportion of Republicans who say abortion should be illegal in all cases dropped from 18% in March 2022 to 14% in December, according to the report, which was based on surveys of 22,984 Americans conducted between March and December 2022. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.

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Abortion still remains “a politically polarizing issue,” the report said, with 86% of Democrats, compared to 36% of Republicans, saying abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

“Support for abortion has been increasing gradually for years,” Melissa Deckman, CEO of PRRI, said in a statement.

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Support for abortion rights continues to rise

The proportion of Americans who say abortion should be legal in all or most cases has steadily increased since PRRI began tracking views on abortion in 2010.

• About 64% of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to the data published Thursday, up from 55% in 2010.
• About 34% of Americans say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, down from 42% in 2010.
• About 7% of Americans say abortion should be illegal in all cases, compared to 15% in 2010.
• Only 12% of Americans say Congress should pass a federal abortion ban, while 53% say Congress should pass a federal law preserving abortion rights.

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Abortion increasingly driving voting decisions

Abortion is increasingly driving voting decisions, especially among Democrats.

• One in four Americans say they’ll only vote for a candidate who shares their views on abortion.
• This is especially true for young women, as 34% of women ages 18 to 29 say they’ll only vote for a candidate who shares their views on abortion.
• Democrats are nearly three times more likely than Republicans to say they will only vote for candidates who share their views on abortion.
• About 52% of Americans say abortion is one of many important factors to consider when voting.

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Most religious Americans support abortion rights

Majorities in most faith groups say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, including 85% of Unitarian Universalists, 79% of Jewish Americans, 78% of Buddhists, 69% of Hindus and 66% of Muslims. Among Protestants, 72% of Black Protestants, 68% of white mainline Protestants and 53% of other Protestants of color said the same, while among Catholics, 62% of white Catholics, 61% of Hispanic Catholics and 71% of other Catholics of color said abortion should be legal in all or most cases.